Locking device for motor-vehicle-control levers.



Y11.?. ASHTON. LOCKING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHIGLB CONTROL LEVBBS.

APPLI'oATaoN H LBD AUG-,19) 1909. l l l 986,537, Patented Mar. 14;'1911.

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EDWlN PERCY lASHTN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

`.'liOL'iKINGr DEVICE FOR MOTOB-VEHICLE-CONTROL LEVERS.

Application filed August 19, 1909. Serial No. 513,643.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that l, EDWIN PERGY ASH- TON, a citizen of the United States of connected by the cross slot D.

Anlerica, residing 'at Detroit, in the county of fayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locking Devices for Motor-Vehicle-Control Levers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

It is the object ofthe invention to provide a simple device applicable to the control lever of an automobile, andby which said lever may be locked in its neutral position so as toiprcvent the starting of the machine.

To this end, the invention consists in the peculiar construction of a locking. dog engageable with the lever and. its guide segment, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automobile control lever and its guide segment indicating in dotted lines a locking dog applied thereto. cross section with the locking dog in osition; Fig. 3 is a perspective view o the dog; Fig. 4 is a perspective view, illustrating a modified construction.

One forni of control for automobiles which-has been extensively used is that which isprovided with What is commonly known as the H-shaped slotted guide for the lever. This' construction, as illustruted in Fig. 1, consists of a lever A and guide B, the latter being provided with two' parallel segmental slots C and CA centrally The lever, when engaged with either of. these slots, is capable of being rocked in opposite directions to the ends of the guide and in its i'ieutral position may be transferred from one slot to the other through the cross slet l). My improvement', when constructed to be applicable to this t'pe of control, consists in a` dog E, which is bifurcated to embrace the lever, and further provided with a portion F for engaging the slot D and a lug G extending through the slot C and bearing against the guideat one .edge thereof. The downwardly-projecting por- Specication of Letters Patent.

Fig. .eis a.,

Patented Mar. 14, fait.

tion of the lugG is apertured to receive a keeper, preferably an ordinary padlock H. Thus the lever A may be locked `in its central or neutral position by this dog and disengagement is prevented by the padlock H.

In Fig. 4 a modified construction of control is'illustrated, in which two .levers A and A are employed and are arranged 'to' voperate from the opposite sides of a guide segment B'. The lever A controls the main clutch of the gearing and is therefore the only one that it is necessary to lock, but as there is no transverse slot D through the guide 'the dog E is not applicable to this construction. I have therefore provided a modified construction of dog, E', which is bifurcated at vJ to embrace the lever, and has a portion extending to one end of the guide. The end of this portion is bifurcated at K to engage with the cross bar B2 of the guide, while a lug G is arranged to extend through the slot in which the lever A is adjusted. This lug G is similar in construction to the lug G and is apertured for engagement with the padlock H.

With both constructions, the lever is held frommovement by engagement With the dog, and the latter is secured, first, by a shoulder engagement with the guide, and, second, by the lug passing through the guide to Which the padlock is secured. Thus the lever cannot be moved Without disengagement of the dog from the guide, and such disengagement is not permitted when the padlock is attached to the lug G. 0n the other hand, the dog `may be quickly removed by unlocking and removing the padlock and then lifting the dog from the slot.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. rIIhe combination with a control lever, *of a guide having a slot at one side of said bifurcated to embrace said lever, a dog lever and having a portion extending through said slot and abutting against the side thereof, and a lock engaging the portion beneath the guide to prevent removal of the dog.

Q. The combination with a control leve:- and an H-shaped .slotted guide with which Said lever is engaged, of a dog embracing I lug extending through a segmental slot of said lever and having a portion engaging the guide and apertured to receive a lock. 10 the cross slot of the guide. vIn testimony whereof I affix my signature 3. The combination with a control lever in presence of two Witnesses. and an H-shaped slotted guide with which EDVIN PERCY ASHTON. said lever is engaged, of a dog bifurcated to Vitnesses: embrace said lever and having a lug en- NELLIE KIN'SELLA, gaging the cross slot of the guide, and a HARRY lV. GRAHAM. 

